Lent 1C
March 9, 2025
Luke 4:1-13
INTRODUCTION
On this first Sunday in Lent, we always hear the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. I always imagined the assignment of this text to this Sunday was aimed at those of us who undertake Lenten disciplines, to help us stay the course and not give in to temptation. Now, of course, I realize that temptations threaten us whether we’ve given up chocolate or not!
So really, the temptation story, and all of our readings, are less about helping us avoid temptation, and more about strengthening and nourishing us for staying steadfast in faith. The story from Deuteronomy reminds us to give thanks, for what we have today and for what God has provided for us throughout the story of our ancestors, and to do this by giving away our first fruits to those who have little. Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us to keep our focus not on our differences, but on God’s word. And the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert from Luke reminds us of the wily ways of the devil, who comes to us in our weakest moments and tries to entice us away from the One who gives us life.
As you listen, consider how these texts can guard you against those forces that would try to steer you away from God and God’s word. And try to find specific words or phrases that you can cling to in order to stay the course, even in the midst of the myriad temptations of this world that would turn us from God. Let’s listen.
[READ]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Michael and I have been in the midst of a long-overdue home make-over. Nothing too major yet – mostly cosmetic, with new paint, new carpet, and new furniture. As I have been poring over Pinterest and various ads, trying to get a sense of our options, I start to imagine not only how something will look, but what any given item can mean for my life. I see a picture of a lovely and comfortable living room, featuring a beautiful coffee table in the middle. The table is surrounded by a smiling family, enjoying a family game night. Everyone is having such fun, and there is not a bit of clutter in sight. And I find myself thinking, “If I had that coffee table, my family would suddenly enjoy game nights! And there wouldn’t be any clutter on the surfaces! And no spills! No tears! All I’ve needed all along was… this coffee table!” I can picture what my life could look like, if only I had that table…
Who knew it could be so quick and easy to solve the challenges of childrearing and family relationships?!
We love a quick, easy fix, right? We long for our lives to be just exactly like we envision them, without any clutter or stains on the carpet, without tears over a loss, without the broken relationships, the pain and human frailty, the broken-heartedness. And if that coffee table can do that for me in some way, however small, well, that seems a heck of a lot easier and faster than any other option. And it’s on sale. Give me the quick fix, am I right?
Of course, I’m being sort of silly about the coffee table. But our temptation to pursue quick fixes is a very real and serious one. We would rather keep taking pain meds, than undergo the surgery with a long recovery. We would rather grab a bottle of wine to take the edge off our big feelings, than go to therapy and dredge up the past in order to actually deal with those feelings. We will sooner tell our friend who is struggling that “everything is going to be all right,” rather than sit with them in their difficult place and not know what to say.
Why is that, do you think? Why are we more willing to pursue a short-term fix that we know won’t last, than we are to pursue a lasting and meaningful change? I suppose it is because playing the long game – months of recovery from surgery, years of therapy, the deep work of listening to the pain and needs of another – can feel intimidating, and it lacks the immediate satisfaction. That feels exhausting. We’d rather escape the more unfortunate realities of being human just as quickly as we possibly can.
In the story of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness, though, Jesus shows us a different way. Where we might give in to the quick fix, he resists this temptation, choosing instead the long game of struggling through the challenges set before him, with the promises of God holding him up.
First, Luke tells us that Jesus is famished. The devil offers him a quick fix: turn these stones into bread. Seems harmless enough… except that he is relying on himself, rather than God. So, Jesus declines.
Next, the devil offers Jesus power – all the power in the world. Jesus knows that the mission before him is a difficult one. With this quick fix, he could bring about his mission by force, like an authoritarian dictator who doesn’t have to worry about people’s rights or feelings. All for the low, low price of… worshiping the devil. Again, Jesus resists, citing the word of God, and declines.
Finally, the devil offers Jesus certainty – who has not been tempted by this? With so much uncertainty ahead, wouldn’t it give Jesus confidence to know in this concrete way that God has his back? And here, the devil even sweetens the quick-fix deal by adding some scripture. (Kind of unnerving, isn’t it, that even the devil can quote scripture for his own purpose!). But, yet again, Jesus resists the quick fix, refusing to put God to the test.
Every time. Every time, Jesus resists the temptation of a quick fix, especially one not aligned with God’s will, and instead he stays in the wilderness – that vast place of wondering, and wrestling, and waiting, and lack – and he chooses to play the long game.
Why would he do that? Why not get what he needs and wants as quickly and efficiently as possible? Why would we?
First of all, in doing this, Jesus puts his trust in the right place: in God, in God’s promises. It is easy, especially when we are desperate, to trust in earthly promises, in things that are right in front of us – whether that is the perfect coffee table, or a strong and forceful ruler, or even our own wits or abilities. But these earthly powers will always let us down in the end. Our trust is rightly put with God, and the promises of scripture.
Second, Jesus stays in the literal wilderness because he knows the value of the metaphorical wilderness as a place of growth, preparation, and transformation. Out there in the wilderness, where we don’t have our usual comforts and defenses, we have no choice but to face the hard things, to reckon with them, to let them teach us. It is a terribly vulnerable and often uncomfortable place to be, and so no wonder we want out as soon as possible. Yet we will never grow if we never allow ourselves to admit where growth is needed. On the other hand, if we face these things, trusting God, we will eventually come out of the wilderness transformed and ready for whatever challenges await us on the other side of this trial.
Finally, in Jesus’ commitment to stay in the wilderness through his own temptations and testing, he is showing us that he will be with us in ours, too. The wilderness of the long game is hard. We are drawn into self-reflection that requires us to face parts of ourselves that we would rather not. We have to endure tough realities. We have to recognize that the spills and stains and clutter and tears will not go away with the perfect coffee table or whatever other quick fix we may try to pursue. But we will not do any of this alone. We will do it with Christ, who has endured it all himself, who knows that pain, whom Isaiah describes as “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” He is exactly the sort of person you want in the wilderness with you, exactly the one who will provide what you need to get through the long game and come out transformed.
Jesus does not offer us quick solutions. But he does offer this enduring presence. And even more, he reminds us that our story will not end in the wilderness, as much as it may feel at times like it will. Because our story is wrapped up in the story of resurrection, the ultimate story of liberation and transformation from death into life. At the end of the day, whatever we face in the wilderness cannot win. These troubles cannot win the day, because Christ is the one who wins the day – more powerful than sin, death, or anything the wilderness can throw at us.
So trust that we will endure, my friends, because Christ endured. He is with us in our yearning for something better. He walks with us when we long for a reprieve, for a fix. He will not leave us in this place, and we can trust in his promise of new life.
Let us pray… Enduring God, we resist the wilderness and its relentless revelation of our human frailty. Help us to know that you are present with us there in that place, assuring us that a fuller life awaits us on the other side. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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